The Bottom Line: Hybrids often carry a price
bogey that makes them
less-than-attractive. The Mercury Mariner Hybrid, however, is almost
exactly the same
price as the less expensive Ford Escape, yet offers attractive fuel economy
in an identical package (with trim differences).

Because of the logistics of scheduling, side-by-side comparisons are
nearly
impossible to arrange and almost as difficult to perform. However, within a
space of two weeks, we had an opportunity to test two Ford small sport
utilities, one with a conventional V6 engine and the other with hybrid
technology.

Now a long Interstate teat is one way to test s small SUV. But a hybrid
is a
different animal. These vehicles usually have higher city economy than
highway. Our situation demanded long Interstate runs with both vehicles,
though.

We drove the Mercury Mariner hybrid first. We headed to Virginia on a
700-mile round trip. I was impressed first with the practical size of the
Mariner. It's classified as a small sport utility, yet there was an
enormous amount of
carrying capacity, 66.2 cubic feet with the seats folded. The rear seats
folded easily to provide a flat floor. That was more than enough for our
purposes.

The combination of the Atkinson cycle four-cylinder with electric backup
offered enough power for all the driving situations we encountered. We had
enough speed to keep at or above the posted speed limits, and still could
accelerate away from any 18-wheelers that threatened our safety.

The front seats were comfortable. They felt hard at first, but either we
became accustomed to them or they softened, by the end of the run we were
happy
with them.

Handling was very good, although I made some dumb moves along the way
that
could have gotten us in trouble. I felt that the Mariner was adversely
affected by strong cross winds, which we encountered in several spots. It
wasn't a
serious problem, but we did feel the wind.

In the Escape, we drove over some semi-twisty back roads and dirt. There
was
surprisingly little lean on corners, although we didn't try
hard corners.
With both vehicles' aspect ratio, we might have expected more
lean.

My only complaint about the Mariner also was for the Escape. I liked the
instrument panel, but the speedometer and tachometer had too many hash
marks.
They didn't help provide more information and just made the
gauges difficult.

The neatest feature was backing into my driveway. The gasoline engine
shuts
off and, at speeds below 25 mpg, stays off, so I backed an electric car
(sort
of) into the driveway.

Our test in the identical Ford Escape took us on an even longer journey,
1300 miles. Again, we spent most of our time on Interstates. With the 200
hp
3.0-liter V6 we had, again, enough power to stay out of trouble or get into
trouble, whatever we chose. We chose stay out. Even with the vehicle fully
loaded, we found that there was plenty of power available.

Fuel economy on our trip actually exceeded the EPA estimates at 22.1
mpg.
This was seven mpg lower than with the hybrid, though. So in this
unscientific
almost side-by-side test, the hybrid came out the winner, with no extra
charge
for the newer technology.

In both vehicles, the ride was comfortable and I felt all the controls
were
in the right places. All too often, interior designers, in their attempt to
be "cute,", place controls at inconvenient locations
that can make the drive
dangerous as you search for them.

Both vehicles had excellent audio systems with Sirius satellite radio.
Both
had navigation systems that we didn't really need, since we
were headed for
familiar locations.

The base price of the Mariner was slightly higher than the Escape
($25,765
vs. $25,330). The Mariner added a Premium Package ($3,395) that added power
heated mirrors, heated front seats, the navigation system, roof rack, and
leather trim; plus $995 for the Hybrid Moon & Tune Package with a power
moonroof
and Sirius radio; and $180 for a 110v electrical outlet.

In nearly identical vehicles, I was surprised to see that the highway
mileage of the hybrid was so much better than the gasoline engine. Around
town, the
economy should be even better. So for those who are iffy about a hybrid,
here's an example of how much you can save.

If you're still committed to gasoline engines, the Escape
(and standard
Mariner as well) are both excellent vehicles that will do almost anything
you ask
of them. We've driven the Escape over tough mountain trails
and we're sure
the Mariner can handle them as well.

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